Today in Rock History – December 5

1965, The Beatles played their last ever show in their hometown of Liverpool when they appeared at The Liverpool Empire during the group’s final UK tour. Only 5,100 tickets were available, but there were 40,000 applications for tickets.

1965, The Rolling Stones played two shows at the Convention Hall in San Diego, California on the last night of a 37-date North American tour.

1967, This was the final night of a 16-date UK package tour with Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Move, The Nice, The Outer Limits, The Erie Apparent, and Amen Corner at Green’s Playhouse, Glasgow. All performances had two shows per night, in this case at 6.15pm, with the second at 8.45pm. Jimi Hendrix had the curtains closed on him halfway through his set, after the management at the venue regarded his movements with his guitar as having sexual overtones.

1968, The release of The Rolling Stones’ new album Beggar’s Banquet, was celebrated at a party in London. A food fight with custard pies was the highlight of the event that went on without an ill Keith Richards. The original cover for the LP was in the form of a plain white invitation, but was later changed.

1969, The Temptations played at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

1970, “Amazing Grace” by Judy Collins entered the singles chart for the first of eight times, it spent a total of 67 weeks on the chart never making the number one position. “Amazing Grace” is a Christian hymn with lyrics written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton, which was first published in 1779.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band performs at the Music Factory in Greenville, North Carolina.

1970, Abraxas by Santana enters its second week atop the US album charts.

1971, The Who are at the Coliseum in Denver, Colorado. John Swenson interviews all four members at length for the magazine Crawdaddy.

1971, Yes appeared at SUNY College Gymnasium, Plattsburgh, New York.

1972, Pink Floyd performed at the Sport Palais Vorst Nationaal in Brussels, Belgium.

1972, The Who begin three days of rehearsal for the upcoming live performance of the orchestral Tommy. During a break, Pete tells Roy Carr of New Musical Express that he is working on a new rock opera he calls “Jimmy.” The main protagonist of 1973’s Quadrophenia is named Jimmy.

1973, Paul McCartney released Band On The Run in the USA, his fifth solo album since his departure from The Beatles. Two hit singles from the album, “Jet” and “Band on the Run,” made it McCartney’s most successful album. The majority of Band on the Run was recorded at EMI’s studio in Lagos, Nigeria, as McCartney wanted to make an album in an exotic location. McCartney went into the studio with just his wife Linda and Denny Laine, doubling on drums, percussion and most of the lead guitar parts himself as well as bass.The UK release took place on December 7th.

1973, Hawkwind played at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles.

1974, Aerosmith appeared at the Orpheum Theater, Boston, Massachesetts.

1975, KISS performs at the Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia.

1976, Music weekly NME reviewed the Sex Pistols debut single “Anarchy In The UK” saying “Johnny Rotten sings flat, the song is laughably naive, and the overall feeling is of a third-rate Who imitation.”

1977, Rush performs at the Tomorrow Club, Youngstown, Ohio.

1979, The Grateful Dead played the last of three nights at the Uptown Theater in Chicago.

1987, Belinda Carlisle went to number one on the US singles chart with ‘Heaven Is a Place on Earth’, the ex Go-Go’s member first solo chart topper. It also a number one hit in the UK. The promotional video was directed by Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton, and features an appearance of Carlisle’s husband Morgan Mason.

1987, The Jesus And Mary Chain were banned from appearing on a US music TV show after complaints of blasphemy when the group’s name was flashed across the screen. The CBS show asked the band to be called JAMC but the group didn’t agree.

1987, Fat Larry James, drummer, singer and leader of Fat Larry’s Band died of a heart attack aged 38. He had the 1982 UK number two single “Zoom.” The opening drum break from Down On The Avenue, from the band’s first album, Feel It has been sampled by N.W.A. Ice-T, Jungle Brothers, and Run-D.M.C.

1992, Whitney Houston started a ten-week run at number one on the UK singles chart with “I Will Always Love You.” It was the longest ever run at the top of the charts for a female artist. The Dolly Parton penned song appears on the Bodyguard soundtrack.

1993, Co-founder of Gin Blossoms, Doug Hopkins, died of self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 32. The guitarist and songwriter was in a detox unit of St. Luke’s Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona when he snuck out and bought a .38 caliber pistol. The next day Hopkins committed suicide.

2004, U2 started a two week run at number one on the UK album chart with How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, the band’s ninth UK chart topping album. The band also went to number one on the US album chart, giving them their sixth US number one album.

2004, Band Aid 20 started a four week at number one on the UK singles chart with a new version of Do They Know It’s Christmas? The third time the song had reached the top of the charts. The new version featured, Joss Stone, Busted, Chris Martin, Bono, Justin Hawkins, Dizzee Rascal, Tom Chaplin, Ms Dynamite, Beverly Knight, Will Young, Jamelia, Fran Healy, Sugababes, Dido and Robbie Williams.

2006, Beatles lyrics handwritten by Sir Paul McCartney to an early version of Maxwell’s Silver Hammer sold for $192,000 (£128,000) at Christie’s auction in New York. A guitar owned by Jimi Hendrix fetched $168,000 (£112,000), a notebook containing lyrics written by Bob Marley sold for $72,000 (£48,000) and a poem penned by Jim Morrison netted $49,000 (£32,666.)

2009, Phish played the final show of their Fall Tour at the John Paul Jones Arena at the University of Virginia.

2011, After spending 45 weeks at the top end of the UK charts, singer Adele’s second album 21 become the biggest selling LP in Britain this century, surpassing the late Amy Winehouse’s 2006 LP Back to Black.

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